Blurb:
It all began in Del Mar, a chance meeting with a single rule–one week only.

Or did it?

Lennox ‘Nox’ Demetri and Alexandria ‘Charli’ Collins had every intention of following it but rules are made to be broken. In CUNNING they are reunited with Nox setting down new rules for the game and Charli having no choice but to follow them.

Now, once again, the game has changed. Nox and Charli’s hot sensual encounter has grown into something more but it is threatened with secrets and regrets. Is it their love and intense sexual chemistry that’s pushing them together or something darker, a puppetmaster behind the scenes pulling the strings on their love affair?

Shadowy villains lurk around each corner and everyone is suspect as Nox’s and Charli’s pasts collide with the present and threaten to compel them back to their predestined fates.

Can deals brokered in the past be negated by something as pure as love and as steamy as the attraction shared by Nox and Charli? Or was it all a deception—starting with that very first meeting?

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Aleatha Romig comes a sexy, new dominant hero who knows what he wants and a strong-willed heroine who has plans of her own. With classic Aleatha Romig twists and turns, the depth of this epic romantic suspense continues to reach new levels as past and present intertwine. The Infidelity series will have readers swooning one minute and screaming the next.

Have you been Aleatha’d?

DECEPTION is a full-length novel, over 300 pages, and the third of five books in the INFIDELITY series – It isn’t what you think!
(This series is not about nor does it advocate or condone cheating)

My Review:
Another spine-tingling read from the wonderfully-talented Aleatha Romig.

Book 3 in the series opens up exactly where we left off in Cunning. While Charli and Nox are trying to sort through their issues, others are attempting to manipulate them for personal gain. At times, it is difficult to identify who is playing who, but I love that aspect of this series! The intrigue ramps up a notch and we have the undercurrent of political wranglings mixed in with the Collins mafiosa-type family shenanigans and the downright nasty goings on in Montague Manor. Bryce and Alton are still up to no good and this time they drag someone else close to Charli into the frame. Alton is also seriously toying with Adelaide’s sanity, and I suspect I know exactly what he is doing (there will be no spoilers here!) Damn, it is seriously messed up.

I adored the flashbacks narrated from Oren and Adelaide’s perspectives. I love how the past and the present are colliding and what that seems to imply for our couple’s future. When the revelations come out, it is going to be explosive!!!

Nox and Charli are much more secure in their relationship and it was a joy to read. Nox is still a dirty, dirty boy, but it’s hard not to love him, especially when he finally opens up and exposes his vulnerability. The romance is sweet and steamy in equal measure. Adore this couple!

Charli has really come into her own now, and she is feistier, more resilient, and more vocal in defense of her needs and goals. I’m really enjoying her progression as a character.

The writing is fantastic and I really enjoy Aleatha’s writing style. The pacing was a little off in the first third of the book, and it was starting to lose my attention. Thankfully, things really picked up then, and it became almost impossible to sit it down.

I’m not a big fan of how this book ended. Not that I’m complaining about the cliffhanger, because I’m not – I’ve come to expect that from Aleatha -but I was unhappy with Charli’s behavior. It felt inconsistent with her stronger persona. I would have preferred a different reaction to demonstrate how much she had changed.

Overall, though, this was a superb read, and I can’t wait to continue this series. I’m grateful that Aleatha is writing this series so quickly so that we don’t have to wait too long to find out what happens next. I would highly recommend this series to fans of well-written romantic suspense with emotionally complex characterization and tons of mystery and intrigue.

Thanks to the author and Inkslinger PR for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

excerpt:
Gripping the phone, I nodded, though I knew he couldn’t see me.
“If I were there, I’d unwrap you, like a fucking Christmas present. Each piece of your clothing would find its way to the floor as I exposed your perfect, sexy-as-hell body. I’d run my fingers and tongue over every inch of that soft skin, tasting you and leaving goose bumps as a trail of my exploration.”
My eyes closed as his words touched me.
“Princess, I’d punish your ass for your insolence in pushing to go back to the city tomorrow and for scaring the shit out of me by not answering your phone. Then after I turned it fire-engine red, I’d make it feel better, showing you how much I admire your strength and determination.”
My neck strained as I sucked in a breath, lifting my behind from the mattress and imagined all he described.
“I’m not there,” Nox continued, “but I’m going to take what I can get. Do you have a problem with that?”
“N-no.” My voice sounded wonton, even to my own ears.
“Now, princess, tell me what you’re wearing.”
I hurriedly kicked back the covers, revealing my yoga pants and stocking-covered feet. “A big t-shirt, yoga pants, socks…”
“Stop.”
I sucked my lower lip between my teeth, waiting for his next command.
“Tell me what I want you to be wearing.”
“Nox?”
“Is the bedroom door locked?” he asked.
“I-I don’t remember.”
“Lock the door, Charli.”
Without thinking, my feet, covered with fuzzy socks, landed on the soft rug that surrounded the big bed. My socks slid as I skated across the wood floor, no longer worried about ghosts or Demetri secrets.
My thoughts were now consumed with everything Nox.
I tested the knob. As I did, it clicked and the small button within the knob popped out. I pushed the button back in and verbally confirmed my mission. “The door’s locked.”
“Are the blinds shut?”
I turned toward the windows. Was it still raining? I couldn’t hear anything but the way Nox’s voice reverberated through the phone, sending shockwaves throughout my body, my blood coursing to keep up. “They’re shut.”
“Keep the lights on.”
My hand lingered over the switch. Would he know if I disobeyed?
“Tell me they’re on.”
With a sigh, I did as he said and moved my hand away from the switch. “They’re still on.”
“Now, put me on speaker phone. I want you to fix the attire problem we mentioned earlier.”
My lower lip disappeared as I hit the speaker button and laid my phone on the bed.
“Charli, you need to respond to me. I can only hear you.”
“Yes, Nox.”

About the Author:
Aleatha Romig is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives in Indiana. She grew up in Mishawaka, graduated from Indiana University, and is currently living south of Indianapolis. Aleatha has raised three children with her high school sweetheart and husband of nearly thirty years. Before she became a full-time author, she worked days as a dental hygienist and spent her nights writing. Now, when she’s not imagining mind-blowing twists and turns, she likes to spend her time a with her family and friends. Her other pastimes include reading and creating heroes/anti-heroes who haunt your dreams!

Aleatha released her first novel, CONSEQUENCES, in August of 2011. CONSEQUENCES became a bestselling series with five novels and two companions released from 2011 through 2015. The compelling and epic story of Anthony and Claire Rawlings has graced more than half a million e-readers. Aleatha released the first of her series TALES FROM THE DARK SIDE, INSIDIOUS, in the fall of 2014. These stand alone thrillers continue Aleatha’s twisted style with an increase in heat.

In the fall of 2015, Aleatha moved head first into the world of dark romance with the release of BETRAYAL, the first of her five novel INFIDELITY series. She also began her traditional publishing career with Thomas and Mercer. Her books INTO THE LIGHT and AWAY FROM THE DARK will be published through this mystery/thriller publisher in 2016.

Aleatha is a “Published Author’s Network” member of the Romance Writers of America and represented by Danielle Egan-Miller of Browne & Miller Literary Associates.